Welcome to the latest edition of AFT NewsWatch, a weekly service of Advocates for Fairness in Transportation, an ad hoc group of regulated transportation service companies dedicated to informing and educating the public on threats to public safety from new so-called ride-sharing or ride-booking services such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar. Visit the Archive to read previous editions.

Uber's 'we're not a ride-sharing service' argument goes nowhere

Uber's innovative transportation software has been good enough to disrupt the taxi and limousine business in more than 30 countries worldwide. Yet the company's attempt to use its app as an argument to re-invent employment law in its home state was just soundly rejected by the California Labor Commission.

Read more from USA Today

Uber can't escape drivers' class action

A federal judge let four of seven class action claims against Uber survive, and gave employees 21 days to amend the three he dismissed. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen on Friday denied Uber's motion to dismiss claims of Massachusetts tips law violations, unjust enrichment, and tortious interference with contract. Uber did not seek dismissal of the claim that it misclassified drivers as independent contractors.

Read more from Courthouse News Service

Lyft agrees to pay $300,000 settlement for violating New York insurance laws

Down in the trenches of the ongoing ground battle between ride-sharing apps and local regulators, Lyft and Uber have had a rough week. Lyft on Thursday agreed to a $300,000 settlement with New York State's attorney general and top insurance regulator for allegedly violating laws that require drivers to carry state-authorized insurance. The firm also agreed to give at least three weeks notice to cities before launching the car-sharing service.

Read more from the Washington Post

Cab companies want new airport fare limits to apply to Uber and Lyft as well

A prominent cab company lawyer is calling for new limits on airport taxi fares to be applied to ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft. Cab companies don't mind the fee limits, but the smartphone-powered companies should abide by them too, Yellow Cab attorney Rocky Anderson said.  

Read more from The Associated Press

Uber cars on Mobile streets, but not yet legal

You could say Charles McCann is the prototypical Uber driver: He has a day job managing a storage facility and gives rides in his spare time. Since the company began operating in Mobile recently, McCann, 68, has raked in about $391 during more than 30 trips. And he doesn't want his new line of work to disappear.  A committee of the Mobile City Council will examine an amendment that could allow driver's like McCann, who work for so-called "transportation network companies," to operate legally in Mobile. 

Read more from AL.com

Meet the rare American mayor who hates Uber

Paul Soglin is the liberal mayor of Madison, Wis., one of few cities with a political sensibility to the left of San Francisco and an unemployment rate that's just as low. But unlike Mayor Ed Lee, who has emerged as a cheerleader for the tech industry, Soglin has fought to make Madison "the last city in America where Uber is allowed." Soglin told a Madison audience this year that Uber and Lyft's business model is "built on exploitation" and treats drivers with a "16th century version of serfdom." 

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle

Senator to Uber: Get out of N.J.

A New Jersey lawmaker accused the smartphone car service Uber of "stonewalling" on regulation negotiations and demanded it "cease and desist" operating in New Jersey. "Uber has constantly fought against being included in the New Jersey regulatory system," state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Morris) said in a statement. "This system provides that the cars transporting clients are safe, their drivers are not criminals and in case of injuries covered by the proper liability insurance."  

Read more from NJ.com 

Market Street will strictly limit vehicles, despite Uber outcry

Uber may be on a roll, but the online ride-service powerhouse failed to block a plan that will steer most cars - including its vehicles- off of Market Street beginning in August. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors unanimously approved a series of simple changes designed to reduce the number of collisions and speed transit travel on the city's busy main boulevard.

Read more from SF Gate

Motorcyclist sues Uber for allegedly distracting its drivers

A motorcyclist has filed suit against Uber claiming one of its drivers caused him serious injury after they collided because the driver was allegedly distracted by the app. Cuyler Mayer claims in his suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court that Uber driver Syed Fakhar Shah allegedly caused him serious injury after Shah was driving alongside Mayer's motorcycle on Sunset Boulevard last Nov. 27 and made an allegedly unsafe U-turn, colliding and causing Mayer to fall off his motorcycle and hit Shah's windshield, City News Service reports.

Read more from LAist

Mom says Uber driver molested her daughter

A Virginia mother claims in a lawsuit that her 13-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted by an Uber driver whom she'd previously complained about due to his inappropriate behavior. In a complaint filed in Virginia Beach, Va., the unidentified mother says her daughter downloaded the Uber app to her phone and frequently used it to request rides from her middle school.

Read more from Courthouse News Service

White Paper: NYC UberX drivers lose 68% of revenue to expenses

In the first-ever white paper examining expenses of a New York City UberX driver, policy and financial analyst Lawrence Meyers estimates a cost of 37 cents-per-mile for the average UberX driver, far exceeding what most candidates anticipate. The paper found that operating costs, plus 31% in commissions, taxes, and fees, caused UberX drivers to lose 68% of pre-tax revenue on the first $1-per-mile of earnings, and 55% on the first $1.50-per-mile.

Read more from PR Newswire

New York City has seized 496 Uber cars since May

In the battle between Uber drivers and city authorities, New York has been kicking ass and taking names, seizing 496 black and livery cars affiliated with Uber's bases for picking up illegal street hails since April 29. It's not the best news for a company eagerly seeking a solid - and legal - foothold in New York, especially considering the size and importance of the market.

Read more from USA Today